Sermon Series: "The New Creature in Christ Creates New Things From Eternity!"
Part 2: "New Creatures in Christ See Material Things from a Godly Perspective and Boasts of God's Glory"
September 24, 2023
For we walk by faith, not by sight. (II Cor. 5:7)
Introduction
Praise the Lord Saints of the Most-High God!
Just imagine with me for a moment, as born-again Christians, what we could accomplish for God, if we all walked (practiced) the faith of Jesus Christ in this physical/tangible world we live in. Everything of material substance that we see, taste, touch, smell, and feel would be subject to our authority; and could be made new as we release our faith in God in Christ Jesus. (Mark 11:22-24 & Matt.19:26) Afterwards, from the depths of our very souls, we would give God all the credit for the things He has done, and take none to ourselves.
Should the Lord tarry, I'm not sure if in my life time, I will see the body of Christ, or a great remnant thereof, come into the full unity of the faith, due to the wide “Schism” we have in and among denominational and non-denominational churches around the world. (I Cor.1:10-17 & Eph. 4:10-17)
However, I believe the day will come that the Church of Jesus Christ will be unified and march against the gates of hell together—preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost, and doing exceedingly great signs and wonders in the earth never seen nor heard of before. (Matt.16:15-20 & I Cor. 2: 9-10) Thereby, drawing masses of people from around the globe to the Lord, before the day of the great catching away of the Church.
In the meantime, I encourage the members and partners of Exousia Ministries, Inc. as well as any born-again believer in Christ who reads this Sermon, to live as “exceptional” stewards of the “Spirit of the Life and Mind of Jesus Christ,” who abides in our hearts. (Rom. 8:11 & Eph. 2:16) With all diligence let us walk in love and the faith of Jesus Christ, do great exploits with Christ, and work to mend and unite all Christians and Churches. As I preached before, “The Mind of Christ is a Terrible Thing to Waste.” If we continue failing to love the brethren, then we have lost the Mind of Christ. (See Sermons dated, July 9 & 16, 2023.)
At Matthew 18:19-20, Jesus said, where two or three believers are gathered together in His name, and if they touch and agree on anything they ask, it shall be done for them by our Father God in heaven. As born-again Christians, we find our common and most holy-ground at the cross of Christ, His resurrection on the third-day from the dead, and ascension and seating at the right hand throne of God the Father.
Through the finished works of Christ on the cross, surely we can agree that God has made us the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. (II Cor. 5:21) And, as the righteous (the just) of God, everyone who names Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, are commanded to “live” by faith. (Rom.1:17) Let me repeat this again. That as the just of God, we are to “live by faith”—by the faith of Jesus Christ!
Now, as born-again Christians, having the Spirit of the Life and Mind of Jesus Christ, we have the ability to see everything in this physical/material world, from a spiritual/Godly-perspective. From our regenerated hearts in Christ, we can perceive everything as Jesus Christ does, as He is seated at the right hand of the Father God—because we have the Mind of Christ. (I Cor. 2:9-16 & I John 4:17)
Born-Again Christians Can See the Goodness of God in Everything Made In the Earth
As born-again Christians, we have impeccable eyesight; spiritual vision. The day we received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior we were delivered from the kingdom of darkness and translated into the marvelous light of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. (Col. 1:13) The song writer and poet Sir Isaac Watts wrote these lyrics about our experience at the foot of Christ’s cross at Calvary, “at the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light and the burdens of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight and now I am happy all the day.”
Thanks be unto God, now that we are in Christ, we have received the “Light of Christ.” The Light of Christ enables us through the power of the Holy Ghost to see, taste, and experience everything within the Kingdom of God; in which we will talk about later in the Series. Our sanctified hearts have been given supernatural vision, illumination, and comprehension in all of the things God has prepared from the foundations of the world.
Thus, we not only see and experience the things in the physical earth from a human point view through our five-senses. But, even more so, we can see the material things in the earth through the eyes of the Spirit, and know them from the Mind of Christ as He is seated at the right hand of God—as they exist according to the Kingdom of God.
Praise God, through the Spirit of the Life and Mind of Jesus Christ, you even can examine and see the wonderful changes God has made spiritually, morally, and materially in you!
A Great Change Has Come over Every Born-Again Christian, and We Thank God for It!
As born-again Christians, the life we now have and enjoy in Christ Jesus is the most wonderful and outstanding life that a person could have on earth. Do not take it for granted. We are no longer natural people, but spiritual people. (II Cor. 5:16) Our lives are no longer worldly, they are spiritual. We are eternally grateful to God for the miracle regeneration of our hearts and salvation He has afforded us through Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross and resurrection from the dead.
This new life in Christ, in which the Spirit of the Life and Mind of Jesus Christ lives through us, is full of unspeakable joy and glory. (Col.3:3-4) At II Corinthians 5:17, the Apostle Paul wrote these oft quoted words:
Therefore, if man is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
As I stated last week, when you received Jesus Christ as Lord, you received a completely new heart (spirit, soul, mind of the soul) identical to Jesus Christ. Your new spirit has been made perfect, and your old sinful nature inherited from Adam has died—vanished, Praise God! Our death is that of the old sin nature which was nailed to the cross with Christ. The old man was buried with Jesus, and just as Jesus was raised up by God the Father, so are we raised up to walk in the newness of life. (Rom. 6:4) This is only God’s doing and not our own.
As born-again Christians, we now live by the very faith of Jesus Christ, established in us by God the Father, and the Holy Ghost is a witness to all He has done. (Heb.10:14-15 & Gal. 2:20) Watch this now. There has been a “humbling” of your heart to love, honor, and obey God in all things.
Your heart is completely bowed and submitted to God and His Word. This is the single most important attribute/fruit (meekness) of the Spirit of the Life and Mind of Christ placed in you by God. In your heart, you have been given a mind-set and burning desire to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and His Word—to always believe and say, “Yes to the Lord!”
Hence, within your born-again heart, your perspective and attitude toward life and the world has been completely changed forever to please God. For example, behold, the sin and iniquity you once enjoyed indulging in when you were in the world, you now detest and desire to put away forever. You now consciously desire to “put off the old man with his deeds” (Col. 3:9) and put on the “new-man,” created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph. 4:24)
In your heart, you no longer desire to freely and willingly commit the sins of your past. Rather, as a citizen of the Kingdom of God, you see these things as wrong and ungodly to commission in your life and turn away from them. You may from time-to time still find yourself committing sin and making mistakes—but more importantly, there is a desire and striving in your heart to overcome that sin(s) and to walk upright and live a godly life before the Lord.
In fact, in your heart, you see yourself as having never sinned before, presently, or in the future! That’s because your heart has been made sinless before God, by God! (I John 3:9)
Also, notice in your heart there is a hunger and thirst to pursue and know more about God; and to come closer and in fellowship with Him through earnest prayer, fasting, and study of the Holy Bible. These holy traits were all things you use to dread, and avoided doing, when you were in bondage to sin and the captive of Satan. (Eph. 2:1-4)
Furthermore, your view of the world has changed, you can see how vastly different the values and morals and practices of the people of the world are, from that of God and His Word—and you want no part of it, but to stand against it. (Rom.12:1-2) And, because the time is short, your heart desires that people everywhere would hear the gospel of Jesus Christ and receive Him as Lord and Savior before they perish and the world dissolves with fervent heat. (II Pet. 3:10)
Whether, family, friend, neighbor, stranger or foe—like our Heavenly Father God, you do not want to see any person perish. Thus, you declare from your heart to every person “now is the accepted time.” “Now is the day of salvation.” (II Cor. 6:2)
Lastly, from your heart, you can see the difference in the way you view and treat people; including enemies. Before you came to Christ, your goodwill toward people was selective at best and not without limits. But now in Christ, you see every person receiving equal treatment. Without hesitation or reservation your desire is to love and forgive. In Christ, you now see every person as good and useful, having purpose unto God, and worthy to receive God-good from heaven—just as Jesus Christ loved you and gave Himself on the cross for you! (John 13:34)
Yes, a great change has come over you. Jesus has saved your soul and made you whole. You can see it and we give God thanksgiving for the things He has done!
All these changes and so much more are things you now see through God-given goggles; through the Spirit of the Life and Mind of Jesus Christ, as these things pertain to the Kingdom of God.
We Have Been Qualified By God to Behold the Kingdom of God
Listen and read along with me the insights Jesus Christ shared with Nicodemus about the pathway into the Kingdom of God and miracles of God, as recorded at John 3:1-7. Jesus said:
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Every time I read these words from Jesus Christ I get so happy and excited for the Saints of God; and myself of course. Note, Jesus said to Nicodemus, in order to “enter” and “see” the Kingdom of God, a person must be “born of the water and the spirit.” Saints, I thank God that we all are born-again of the water and of the Spirit. The Holy Ghost even testifies to our hearts that the authentic Kingdom of God is in us!
We can see and comprehend all things pertaining to the Kingdom of God! Every miracle contained in the Kingdom of God—we can see them! The Kingdom of God is the spiritual realm, dominion, sphere over which God reigns as King. In case you don’t know it: God alone reigns over the heavens, earth, and beneath. Everything seen and unseen. (Neh.9:6 & Rev. 5:13)
The Kingdom of God resides within the Holy Ghost. (Rom. 14:17) Praise God, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost was poured out on all flesh—made available to everyman that would repent and be baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. (Acts 2:17, 38-39) And when the Holy Ghost was made available to all people, the Kingdom of God was made available to be received by all people.
So, I say to every person who is born-again, congratulations, as the eyes of your heart (spirit, soul, and mind of the soul) have been quickened and made alive to "see the Kingdom of God," and to see things from God’s perspective in earthly material things and spiritual things; things seen in the natural realm, as well as things only seen in the unseen realm!
I'm so excited enough to shout all around this place because our loving God has placed the Kingdom of God; everything that He rules over as King in our hearts! Everything visible and invisible has been placed in our sanctified hearts, and with authority over it! (Luke 17:20-21 & II Pet.1:3) God is a good God!
It’s Training-Time for Seeing Natural Things, the Kingdom Way, and Giving God Glory!
Saints need more training and practice—yes, just a little more seasoning—in seeing natural things from a spiritual perspective, so we can give God all the glory. The Apostle Paul wrote at Colossians 3:1-2, that we are to seek and set our affections on things above where Christ sits at the right hand of God, and not on the things on the earth; as we have been risen with Christ.
We are seated in heavenly places in God in Christ. (Eph. 2:1-6) Remember now, that we have been given stewardship of the Spirit of the Life and Mind of Jesus Christ abiding in our hearts. Given that we have the Mind of Jesus Christ, our born-again hearts think and comprehend all things just as Jesus does. You see, Jesus Christ knows He is equal with God. (Php. 2:5) Jesus knows all things—seen and unseen—were made by Him and for Him. Jesus knows He is before all things and by Him all things consist. Jesus knows that He has the preeminence in all things. (Col.1:16-18)
These are Kingdom truths that the born-again Christian must set their affections on. We must diligently train the thought-life (brains) of Christians’ to see and know what our born-again hearts has already mastered concerning the material things in the world. That is: “ALL THINGS WERE MADE BY JESUS AND FOR JESUS, JESUS IS BEFORE ALL THINGS AND BY HIM ALL THINGS CONSIST.
For the remainder of today’s Lesson, we are going to focus on the physical/material/tangible things in the world we see daily in life, through our born-again hearts, using the eyes of the Spirit and the Mind of Christ, witnessed by the Holy Ghost. From our hearts, we will see how the Mind of Christ, witnessed by the Holy Ghost, appreciates the beauty of the things God has created in the earth.
We will also examine how we view things that have been damaged and destroyed in the earth, and how from the Mind of Christ, witnessed by the Holy Ghost, they are restored. Yes, let’s see what the Mind of Christ has to say about things that have been altered for the worse by the enemy the devil and mankind.
Let’s sit still now and allow the Holy Ghost to express the Mind of Christ to us concerning a few things in the earth. For those of us in this Zoom Service, I have included a picture of majestic rolling mountains and valleys. (See below.) If you are reading this Sermon on the website, either go online and google search for a picture of rolling mountains, or just imagine them in your heart.
As you view the picture, from your heart, notice that the Mind of Christ, witnessed by the Holy Ghost—almost immediately communicates to you; this is a handy-work of God and testifies to the greatness of God. You appreciate all of the beauty of the mountains, valleys, sky above, the sun, and colors and so forth as “God’s creation.” These observations are not of your own making from the brain, but are being fed to you “live” from the Mind of Christ, and expressed through the Holy Ghost.
Perhaps you hear the Mind of Christ say to you, “Only God could create such beauty and magnificence.” But now, add to your praise this knowing from the Mind of Christ: ALL THINGS WERE MADE BY JESUS AND FOR JESUS. JESUS IS BEFORE ALL THINGS AND BY HIM ALL THINGS CONSIST. Everything in the picture was made by Jesus Christ, and for Jesus Christ—got it?
Since Jesus Christ is the creator of all things, then all things must obey Jesus. All things must bow to the name of Jesus Christ. (Php. 2:11-12) Um, with regard to the picture above, the Mind of Christ, the Holy Ghost as a witness, communicates to us that everything in the picture belongs to Jesus Christ, and is for His express purpose, use, and is subject unto Him.
Praise God we can say, everything in the picture is, “Jesus made.” Umm, the mountains, hills, valleys, sky, and sun—all were made perfect by Jesus. And, should any of the things pictured get damaged or destroyed, Jesus Christ alone is the one who knows how to fix it to perfection because they were all created by Him, and for Him!
Behold, I show you another picture of a glorious sunset above an ocean crest. If you are reading this Sermon on the website, again google search a sunset or imagine one.
Now, in your heart, listen to how the Mind of Christ, witnessed by the Holy Ghost, communicates to you that the awesome power and wisdom of God created this breath-taking scene. Notice how each wave of the sea bows and worships God; claps and applauds God. How each beam of sunlight and cloud in the sky stretches forth in praise to God. Oh, how excellent is God in all the earth! (Psalm 8:1-9) As our affections are set on things above and not on earth, we affirm that the sun, skies, ocean—all were made by Jesus Christ, and for Jesus Christ.
Truly, everything in the earth and above and beneath testifies to God Almighty, the Creator of All. Whether it be human beings, animals, plant life, rivers, oceans, trees, lands, buildings, the environment, and nature...all of creation; we see it through spiritual lenses, according as it is in the Kingdom of God.
Our spiritual vision, therefore, demands that we show forth respect and reverence for everything made in the earth, (especially human beings who are made in the image and likeness of God.) [James 3:9] Every person and thing consists of Jesus, and was created for Jesus.
The body of Christ must understand, God has made us stewards over the earth and given us the Spirit of the Life and Mind of Christ to “tend” to the earth, even as it is decaying because of the sins of Adam. The Lord has given the earth to the children of men—praise God. (Ps. 115:16)
Now, take a look at the picture below showing devastating flooding in a city in Ukraine. (If you are reading this Sermon on the website, Google search pictures of flooding in cities in Ukraine).
As you look at the aerial view of the flood damage, let the Mind of Christ dwell in you richly. Though the city is mostly in ruins in the natural, in your born-again heart (spirit), notice you can see everything restored as new again. Glory be to God! The reason you see everything restored is because everything in the picture was made by Jesus and for Jesus, and by Jesus all things consist! In your heart, you see everything made whole again because this is how it was made in the Kingdom of God, which is in you!
The picture that you see of the city restored in your heart, is greater and more real than the damage suffered in the city shown in the picture. (I John 4:4 & II Cor. 4:18) I don’t want to take you too far and fast, but if you keep looking deeper into your heart, the Mind of Christ, by way of the Holy Ghost, will not only show you the city restored as it was before the flood, but take you-up-higher and show you this city in Ukraine made anew. Far grander and greater than it ever was before! Glory be to God!
This is because when God restores anything, it will always be exceedingly and abundantly greater than we could ever ask or think in our own natural imagination or self-efforts, so no man can glory. (Eph. 3:20)
For your edification Saints. In the case of this city in Ukraine, if all of the Christians residing there who know the name of Jesus Christ would band together in agreement, in love and in the faith of Jesus Christ, and would speak peace on the city, God would bring restoration to that city, according to Mind of Christ Jesus as seated at the right hand of God, as befitting of the Kingdom of God on earth! The city would be restored greater and mightier than ever imagined, for God’s people to make their boast in the Lord.
The following excerpts of Scriptures are noteworthy, and affirm our boasting in what God can do when He builds a place. In short:
Psalm 127:1 – Unless The Lord Builds The House, They Labor in Vain...
Proverbs 24:3-4 – A House Is Built By Wisdom. ...
Matthew 7:24-27 – A House Build On The Rock Versus A House Built On Sand. ...
Hebrews 3:4 – God is the Builder of Everything. ...
Isaiah 65:21-22 – God's People Will Enjoy The Work of Their Hands.
The last picture I will show you today, is a young man in a wheelchair. Tell me though what you see in your heart, through the Spirit of the Life and Mind of Jesus Christ, as witnessed by the Holy Ghost?
Immediately, the Mind of Christ, shows the man standing up, pushing away from the wheelchair and rejoicing! You behold a new thing that his legs and ankle bones are made strong. You see that this man does not deserve to be in this condition and should be made whole!
Your heart is full of compassion and, like Christ Jesus, your heart is touched with the feeling of his infirmity. (Heb. 4:15-16) The Mind of Christ instructs you to preach the gospel of Christ Jesus to Him, and tell him about the awesome power of Jesus Christ to touch and heal him.
You can see yourself telling him to rise up out of the wheelchair in the name of Jesus Christ. In like manner to Peter and John, as they healed the lame man sitting by “Gate called Beautiful,” you give the man your right-hand and he receives strength to walk and begin running and jumping and praising God; with tears flowing in amazement! (Acts 3:1-8) This is not wishful thinking, it’s called “Godly Imagination, which causes the faith of Jesus Christ to rise up in you!
This is all according to the Kingdom of God, because the man pictured in the wheelchair was made by Jesus Christ, and for Jesus Christ! The reality of the man’s healing is far greater than his confinement to the wheelchair. Thank God we are born-again and can see the eternal things of the Kingdom of God, and are motivated to know and act as the Mind of Christ instructs us to do!
Amen and thanks be to God for the preaching of His Word.
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